Much has been written about Gilbert's early homesteaders during its days as "hay capital of the world, " but less publicized are the stories about the town's rapid growth.

The Gilbert Historical Society, in collaboration with South Carolina-based Arcadia Publishing, will bring to light a new take on town history in a new book paying special attention to the years after U.S. 60 was built.

The book, titled "Gilbert," is part of Arcadia's Images of America series that features the history of neighborhoods, towns and cities across the country. It will have about 240 black-and-white images from the society's archives and some descriptions.

"Yes, we have stories of our roots and our early days, but people don't understand that Gilbert was not always the way that it is," Kolar said. "How did we double our population every five years for so many years since 1980? How did we have such explosive growth?"

"People move here to Gilbert and think it just kind of evolved like everywhere else around us," Kolar said. "But it has not. Gilbert is different in that way."

The small community of pioneering homesteaders began developing into a town in 1905 after it purchased land for a train depot from its namesake Bobby Gilbert.

When Gilbert was incorporated in 1920, it had barely 500 residents. With the creation of canals and the Roosevelt Dam, it gradually became a thriving agricultural community.

The town grew slowly at first. Even in 1971, Gilbert had fewer than 2,000 residents.

That's when Hallock, who was Gilbert mayor from 1971 to 1976, worked for a strip annexation of 57 sections surrounding Gilbert, thus growing the town from less than 2 square miles to 58.

The strip annexation and the creation of U.S. 60 did wonders for Gilbert's population growth that currently is more than 240,000.

"The houses on the 1-acre lots were the big thing," said Hallock, who has previously authored two books on the history of Gilbert. "When people found that they could come to Gilbert and buy a one-acre lot and put homes on that reasonably, and then also have an incredible education system, why wouldn't people come here?"

"They were not that big, but they were on one-acre lots, so people can have a little farm around," Hallock said. "So, it really gave them incredible freedom."

The book will also illustrate early homesteaders and town life, the first schools and churches, World War I and World War II years and the development of the municipality with the advent of its parks system, school districts, public safety and housing subdivisions.

The book will cost about $22 and is expected to be available in mid-2015 via online booksellers. The museum will collect royalties on the sales and will also purchase copies at a wholesale rate to sell in its gift shop.

"I think that in Gilbert, it will be a popular book forever, just because of the kind of community we are," Kolar said.